Transcript 35-Religions-44 - Bible Study Downloads

160a
Dr. Rick Griffith, Singapore Bible College
www.biblestudydownloads.com
Answer in your small groups
What is the key reason
we see so many
religions in the world?
Why are there such divergent
beliefs since we all had the
same biological source in
Adam and Eve?
Romans 1:20
Person who
is Limitless
Person who is
Supernatural
For
For since
since the
the creation
creation of
of the
the world
world
God's
God's invisible
invisible qualities-qualities-- his
his
eternal
eternal power
power and
and divine
divine nature-nature-have
have been
been clearly
clearly seen,
seen, being
being
understood
understood from
from what
what has
has been
been
made,
made, so
so that
that men
men are
are without
without
excuse
excuse (NIV).
(NIV).
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Scope
• Let's compare and contrast the
major pagan religions of
antiquity. How did their worship
differ from one another?
160b
• Gather information on pagan religions of the main
people groups (Sumerians, Babylonians,
Assyrians, Canaanites, Egyptians, etc.)
• Comparative analysis of religions under 3 main
categories: characteristics of gods, temple
worship, general beliefs and practices.
• Consider what we can learn from these
counterfeit religions.
160b
Sumerian-Babylonian gods
160c
Lord of the airspace
God of heaven and earth
Responsible for the Flood
Creator of mankind
Banished to 'hell' for
raping Ninlil
ENLIL
160c
'King of the Igigi'
four eyes, four ears,
emits fire from his mouth
Anu installed to lead pantheon
Given more than 50 names:
1. Asarluhi, 2. Marduk, 3. The Son, The Majesty of the Gods, 4.
Marukka, 5. Mershakushu, 6. Lugal-dimmer-ankia (King of heaven
and earth), 7. Bel, 8. Nari-lugal-dimmer-ankia, 9. Asarluhi, 10.
Namtila, 11. Namru, 12. 'Asare, 13. Asar-alim, 14. Asar-alim-nuna,
15. Tutu, 16. Zi-ukkina, 17. Ziku, 18. Agaku, 19. Shazu, 20. Zisi, 21.
Suhrim, 22. Suhgurim, 23. Zahrim, 24. Zahgurim, 25. Enbilulu, 26.
Epadun, 27. Gugal, 28. Hegal, 29. Sirsir, 30. Malah, 31. Gil, 32.
Gilima, 33. Agilima, 34. Zulum, 35. Mummu, 36. Zulum-ummu, 37.
Gizh- numun-ab, 38. Lugal-ab-dubur, 39. Pagal-guena, 40. LugalDurmah, 41. Aranuna, 42. Dumu-duku, 43. Lugal-duku, 44. Lugalshuanna, 45. Iruga, 46. Irqingu, 47. Kinma, 48. Kinma, 49. E-sizkur,
50. Addu, 51. Asharu, 52. Neberu, 53. Enkukur
MARDUK
160c
Canaanite gods
El / Dagon
'father of the gods'
Athirat / Asherah
lady of the sea
Baal
prince of the earth
Asthoreth
goddess of war and fertility
Anat
Baal's sister
Shalim
Dusk
Shachar
Dawn
Helel / Lucifer
light bringer
160d
Prince of the earth, god of
fertility, lord of sky and earth,
god of thunder and lightning etc
Lord, master, owner
Chief male deity of the
Phoenicians and Canaanites
Slain by Mot & revived by Anath
Worshipped in the high places
of Moab (Num. 22:41)
BAAL
The Baal Cycle
Baal
Rises
Mot
kills
Baal
Winter
Baal
Rises
Mot
kills
Baal
Spring Summer Fall
Winter
Spring
Religion
90
Baal fertility cycle (Baal Epic)
Mot (death) in winter defeated by Baal (life) in spring
Temple prostitution and
sexual fertility rites in
religious worship helped
Baal resurrect in spring
Child Sacrifice
to Baal
 During
worship live
babies were placed on
the burning hot hands
of the statue of Baal.
 After dying they were
then pushed into a hole
underneath.
91
160d
Hebrew word "dag" (fish):
Human with back half as fish
Hebrew/Akkadian word
'dagan' (grain): a grain god
Upper torso: man;
Back half: fish
Temples at Gaza, etc.
(Judges 21,23)
DAGON
Egyptian gods
160d
160e
'King of the Gods'
Man with a ram-head
Wore ostrich plumed hat
Later called Amun-Ra
AMUN
160e
SUMER
An
B A B Y L O N IA
I AN
Anu
God of heaven
Sky god
Ki/ Ninmah
Aruru/ Mammi
Mother goddess
CANAANITE
PHILISTINE
El
Dagon
Father of gods
God of grain
Baal
Baal
Prince of the
earth
Lord of heaven
Enki
Ea
Water god
God of the waters
Athtart
Ashtoreth
Enlil
Ellil
Air god
Wind/storm god
Goddess of war
and chase
Goddess of
fertility
Nanna
Sin
God of the sun
Moon god
Inanna
Ishtar
Goddess of love Goddess of love
and war
and war
Similar gods
160e
Pagan gods like humans:
• Had families and could procreate
• Ate and feasted - even got drunk!
• Experienced human feelings of jealousy,
anger, lust, etc.
• Had feuds and battles amongst themselves
• Had varying powers but none omnipotent
• Could die and re-live again
160f
Portrayed as Human-Animal
• Dagon (fish tail)
• Horus (hawk head)
• Enlil (horse legs)
• Ra (eagle head)
• Anubis (jackal head)
WHO DOES NOT
BELONG HERE? ?
?
Pagan Beliefs on Creation
S UMER - B ABYLONIAN
Enuma Elish, tables I-V (among
others)
· Tiamat, mother goddess
(primeval ocean), vs younger
gods.
· Marduk (leader) destroyed her
· Tiamat’s carcass = present
universe.
160f
E GYPTIAN
· In the beginning, all was
darkness with primeval ocean
= Nun
· Nun -> a great shining egg, Re.
· Re could take any form
· Whatever Re named came into
being, thereby bringing into
being all creation.
· Lastly, Re named mankind
· Re became man as the first
Pharaoh.
• The Sumer-Babylonian myths depict creation with war and
violence (a classic case of the "fittest survive" mentality).
• Egypt's creator was powerful but when he became Pharaoh
and lived with men, his power dissipated into the air.
160f
Pagan Beliefs on the Great Flood
S UMER - B ABYLONIAN
· The gods decided to destroy
mankind.
· A god (Enki) warned the priestking Ziusudra (“Long of Life”) of
the coming flood
· Instructed to build a great ship
and carry beasts and birds upon
it.
· In return, he was granted eternal
life.
E GYPTIAN
· People rebellious. Atum (first
god) decided to destroy all.
· He made the earth and then
returned it to the primoral
water.
(papyrus with the flood story
damaged and unclear)
Assyrian
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Humanity overpopulated
The gods, led by Enlil, agreed to cleanse the earth
Utnapishtim was warned of a flood by the god Ea in a dream
He built a seven-level ship with all living creatures aboard
It stormed for six days
He released dove, sparrow & raven, then knew water had receded
Sacrificed to the gods and he & his wife given immortality
160g
Pagan Beliefs on Life after Death
E G Y P T IA
I AN
S U M E R - B A B Y L O N IIA
AN
· Man was created as a
broken, labor saving, tool
for the use of the gods.
· At the end of everyone’s
life, lay the underworld, a
generally dreary place.
(Wolkstein & Kramer 1983:
pp.123-34)
A S S Y R IA N S
· Believed death was
simply a temporary
interruption, rather
than a complete
cessation of life.
· Mot is the Mistress of the
Underworld. Yet, no clear
allusion to the state of
existence after death.
· Eternal life could be
ensured by means of:
· Kings and commoners
alike wish for a long life.
1. piety to the gods,
· General belief is humans
received their due rewards
in this life and they have
only the gloomy
netherworld to look
forward in the next.
2. preservation through
mummification, and
3. provision of statuary
and other funeral
equipment.
1. Besides Egyptians who believed in some form of hope in next
life based on works, the other cultures did not have favorable
views of the after-life
160g
Pagan Beliefs on Relationship
with Gods
S U M E R - B A B Y L O N IA
I AN
Gods viewed as:
1. Providers for necessities,
2. Protectors against enemies,
3. Parents with whom personal
relationships were possible,
4. Cruel warriors (in the first
millennium).
EGYPTIAN
· Osiris’ tribunal for
judgment
· Live according to maat,
Egyptian concept of
justice and
righteousness.
· Admission to heaven
via one’s record in the
Book of the Dead,
containing a list of sins
and taboos.
ASSYRIANS
· Worldview through myths
where forces of nature
were personified and
deified.
· Engaged their gods
through rites to induce
changes in nature for
betterment of their lives.
1. Consideration for morality was not so distinct in SumerBabylonian and Canaanite/ Phoenician cultures
2. Egyptians' motivation for morals was based on fear and entry
to heaven on good works
Pagan Worship by Priests
Sumer-Babylonian
Egyptian
• King = official
• Pharaoh = divine,
representative of deity,
ultimate high
insuring fertility of land
priest who built
by careful observance
temples and
of the New Year ritual
oversaw their
• Elaborate priestly
maintenance.
bureaucracy to maintain • Lay priests
temple and its deity
operated small
• Queen might manage
chapels with
affairs of temple
patron deities not
goddess
worshipped
anywhere else.
160g
Assyrian
• Epic of Ugarit
• King represented human
community before gods.
• 12 priestly families with a
high priest among them
• Others: consecrated
persons (possibly cultic
prostitutes), singers,
makers of vestments and
sculptors. Priests
functioned as scribes as
well.
1. Political rulers assumed to have close contact with gods
2. Women functioned with special roles in the temple
Pagan Worship in Temples
Sumer-Babylonian
• Temple = 1/3 of city, may
lease land for income
 Ziggurat, a stepped tower
of 3-7 stages
 divine statue at foot of
temple carved from wood,
adorned with precious
stones
 Temples built on ruins ,
eventually becoming
man-made mountains
Egyptian
 Hypostyle hall for
religious rituals - priests
and pharaoh only
 Second hall - high priest
and pharaoh only
 Sanctuary -> shrine
where the statue of the
god or goddess was
kept - god or goddess
may enter statue.
 Sacred lake next to the
temple
160h
Assyrian
 Temples = dwelling
place of deity
 courts = festive
assemblies
 statue to depict
deity
 Tophet (child
cemeteries) contain
some 20,000
cinerary urns with
the remains of infant
children and
animals.
1. Grand architecture depicting central importance of religion
2. Existence of statues to represent gods
160h
The Temple of Ishtar (Babylon)
---Ashteroth in Philistine
---Venus in Greece
· Sacred priestesses (temple
prostitutes) embodied the
goddess. Women go to the
temples as sacred
Sumer-Babylonian
prostitutes, and are
· Public rituals, food
worshipped as the
sacrifices and libations.
incarnation of goddess.
· Monthly rituals
· Men are welcomed and
· On New Year, King married served by the priestess by
representing the divine male
Inanna (fertility god)
principal, the Horned One,
· City deities, family deities
the God.
· People prayed by clasping
· Thus, Ishtar is called, “The
hands in front of chests
Whore of Babylon, who
leads men into fornication”
Both sexes went to temples
(Rev. 17:2)
· In return, she blesses crops
not to worship
and grants fertility to women
but to be worshipped!
(to sacrifice to Baal?)
Pagan Worship
- Rites & Rituals
160h
Pagan
Canaanites/Worship - Rites & Rituals
Phoenicians
· Rituals imitate actions of
characters in myths with
recitation of myths
· Indulge in sexual perversion in
worship: adultery, incest,
homosexuality, bestiality, so as
to stimulate deities to engage in
sexual acts believed to bring out
seasonal cycle (Leviticus 18:3,
24-30)
Moabites
• National god Chemosh,
worshipped primarily by
offering the first-born son
(2 Kings 3:26-27)
Child Sacrifice
· Placed healthy babies into burning
hands on statues of Baal in return
for good harvests
· In Palestine, infants in jars with
food offerings were found under
the foundations of buildings; at
least two showed marks of fire.
They are believed to strengthen
walls of houses and cities.
Philistines
 Baal, Lord of Heaven
 worshipped by both
ritual immorality and
child sacrifice (2 Kings
16:7, 21:6).
160h
Babylonian &
Assyrian Temples
In the ancient Babylonian and
Assyrian periods of W Asia the
temple, or ziggurat, was a
square pyramidal structure
about 300 ft (90 m) high built up
in successive, inclined
terraces, sometimes as many
as seven; with accessory
buildings it was enclosed by
walls. At its summit was a
chamber that served both as a
shrine and for astronomical
observations. Glazed and
colored bricks faced the walls.
THE TOWER OF BABEL
(Gen. 11:1-5)
In this classic story, people
were building a colossal
staged temple-tower or multistoreyed ziggurat that would
reach heaven. But did they
really believe they could
reach their gods? Most likely
the tower would be used as a
place of worship.
Actually, their purpose for
the tower was to provide a
common religious rallying
point, lest the people be
scattered. The builders were
in open defiance of God's
command (Gen. 9:1) .
What common characteristics
were true of most, if not all,
Ancient Near East pagan
religions?
Give at least two traits.
185
Uniqueness of Pagan Religion
Polytheistic
 Gods sinful
 Blemished
sacrifices
 Offerings
 Priestesses
 Local deities
 Religions of the
plains (left-stage)

Worship motivated
by fear or finances
 Visual images of
gods (idols)
 Temple prostitutes
 Had to care for their
gods
 Mythology
acceptable
 Political leaders

How was Israel's religion
distinct from these other
religions of the OT era?
Give at least two contrasts.
Israel's Distinct Worship







Monotheistic
(worshipped the true
God)
Holy God without sin
Priesthood by
genealogy
YHWH not a local deity
Salvation by faith (?)
Attested by genuine
miracles
Religion of the desert
(right-stage)






185
No physical depiction
of God
Moral standards of
worshipers & leaders
Covenant relationship
with God
God initiated
Can't manipulate God
Male priests only
But what does
this all have to
do with me?
Let's now see the Discovery Channel movie
on superstitions of the Hungry Ghost…
How did reading these pagan
writings for today's class help
you appreciate Judaism?
How did this possibly aid your
own walk with God?
Buddhism
Hinduism
Hinduism
160i
Application
• Israel was influenced by paganism (Ps.
106:34-42), so today, we should beware
syncretism.
- Children colouring book ('the many faces
of the Great Mother' - Ashteroth)
- Girl scouts oath (reduce emphasis of God)
- World Council of Churches (prayers to
goddess Sophia)
• God centeredness vs self indulgence (2 Cor.
10:4-5)
Bibliography
Hoerth, Alfred J.; Mattingly, Gerald L.; and
Yamauchi, Edwin M., eds. Peoples of the Old
Testament World. Grand Rapids, Michigan:
Baker Books 1994.
Gower, Ralph. The New Manners and Customs of
Bible Times. Chicago: Moody, 1987.
Hindson, Edward E. The Philistines and the Old
Testaments. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker,
1983.
Websites
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